New RACGP mental health position statement
The RACGP has launched a new Position statement on mental health care in general practice.
The mental health sector is undergoing significant change. The Federal Government is rolling out reforms that are likely to affect service delivery within primary care, including implementation of a Digital Mental Health Gateway to direct individuals to online psychological support and changes to mental health nurse funding. Recent reports that access to mental health nurses is being affected by these reforms and that the Gateway is not consulting with clinicians in its design, are cause for concern.
General practices play an important role in providing and coordinating mental health services for patients. GPs’ skills in delivering whole-of-person, patient-centred care can give them a unique vantage point on an individual’s mental health needs.
It is crucial that careful planning takes place to ensure that the Federal Government’s new mental health initiatives sit in the context of existing care pathways, such as a GP-led medical home.
The new RACGP position statement champions the role of general practice in delivering mental health services to the community.
With the release of the position statement, the RACGP has called upon Federal Government to ensure that efforts to reform the sector keep general practice at the centre of mental health care.
RACGP continues to advocate for a lift of the freeze
The RACGP continues to advocate for a lift of the freeze on Medicare patient rebates. The RACGP’s message was used in ongoing discussions in parliament last week.
The revelation that a $177 million underspend on medical services and benefits in the 2015-16 Final Budget Outcome proves there is no rationale for continuing the freeze on patient rebates, which require less than $150 million per annum.
Furthermore, figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) show Commonwealth health spending has remained stable, rising by just 2.4% to $66.2 billion in 2014-15, compared with a 2.3% rise in underlying inflation over the same period.
Visit the RACGP website to see recent RACGP media releases.
International Medicine in Addiction Conference 2017
The 4th International Medicine in Addiction Conference, IMiA17 will be held at the new Sydney International Convention Centre (ICC Sydney) from 24–26 March 2017.
The RACGP has collaborated with The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) and The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) to host IMiA17, the premier addiction conference for medical practitioners and allied clinicians in Asia and Oceania.
The conference brings together a wide range of local and international medical professionals who specialise in treating addiction. IMiA17 is seeking abstracts on the themes of ‘Comorbidity, Education, Neuroscience, Prevention, Policy and Treatment’. The call for abstracts closes on 31 October 2016.
The preliminary program is now available on the IMiA17 website, and early bird registrations are now open with discounted registration fees available until 12 December 2016.
RACGP eHealth forum
The second RACGP eHealth Forum will be held on Thursday 27 October 2016, providing an opportunity for key stakeholders across the primary care sector, government, and leaders in the eHealth space to come together and discuss the current state of eHealth in Australia. The outcomes of the forum will provide strategic direction for the work of the RACGP Expert Committee on eHealth and Practice Systems.
The eHealth Forum will have three sessions which will include presentations, followed by Q&A with an expert panel. The sessions will explore the following topics:
- Electronic communication across healthcare organisations
- Usability issues and the need for consistency across systems to ensure clinical safety
- Strategies for managing the growth of health data
RACGP members can participate in the eHealth Forum live, online, via a live Twitter feed with #GPeHealth.
Questions can be submitted prior to the day at ehealth@racgp.org.au
Visit the RACGP website for more information.
Call for RACGP Expert Committee – General Practice Advocacy and Funding member
The RACGP is calling for nominations for a new member to join the RACGP Expert Committee – General Practice Advocacy and Funding (REC–GPAF).
REC-GPAF advocates for GPs and general practice, promoting the importance of patient safety, quality care, coordination of care, whole-patient care, better recognition and reward for GPs, and investment into primary healthcare infrastructure, teams, training and technology.
Further information about REC-GPAF’s roles and strategic directions is available on the RACGP website. All RACGP Fellows who are financial members as at 1 July 2016 are eligible to apply.
This REC position is required until September 2018. The closing date for nominations is Tuesday 25 October 2016. Please email advocacy@racgp.org.au for more information, or to request an application form.
Revised Patient Feedback Guide – Consultation
Feedback from stakeholders and practices on patient feedback in the RACGP Standards for general practices (4th edition) (the Standards) indicates that the requirements are too prescriptive and focus on the process for collecting the feedback rather than the desired outcome.
The next edition of the Standards will be released in October 2017. As a result of the feedback received and the move to more outcomes-focused Indicators, the requirements relating to patient feedback in the 5th edition Standards have been modified to provide increased flexibility for practices in how they undertake patient feedback.
In order to reflect the requirements of the 5th edition patient feedback Indicators, the Patient Feedback Guide has been revised and updated.
The RACGP welcomes your input on the revised Patient Feedback Guide. The consultation period concludes 30 October 2016.
The revised Patient Feedback Guide is available on the RACGP website.
Clinical Pearl
Blood pressure targets in type 2 diabetes
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, and the assessment of CVD risk is a vital part of diabetes care.
Lowering blood pressure (BP) reduces cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in people with type 2 diabetes in the same manner as for the general population. However, the target level for optimum BP is controversial.
In line with findings from a number of different studies, it would be reasonable for GPs to shift the BP target to <140/90 mmHg for people with diabetes, with lower targets considered for younger people and those at high risk of stroke (secondary prevention), as long as the treatment burden is not high. The target BP for people with diabetes and microalbuminuria or proteinuria remains <130/80 mmHg. Treatment targets should be individualised and people with diabetes monitored for side effects from the use of medications to achieve lower targets.
Visit the updated RACGP General practice management of type 2 diabetes 2016-18 for more information on blood pressure targets in diabetes.
In Practice poll
Changes to business models and billing practices
As highlighted in September’s Good Practice, GPs and their practices are looking at their financial bottom line to determine how they can remain viable in response to the Medicare freeze. Many practices are adapting to the landscape by shifting billing models and introducing co-payments and other fees so that they can combat financial pressures and continue to provide quality general practice services to their patients.
The RACGP is looking to prepare case studies of the ways GPs and practices are adapting, to inform members of what their peers are doing. We invite you to answer the poll below and provide information regarding any models or approaches your practice has implemented (successful or otherwise) for the benefit of other members.
You may wish to comment on:
- the triggers that made you contemplate change
- the obstacles you faced, and whether/how these were overcome
- patient reactions to change
- how you assessed success
- what made your plan effective, or otherwise.
When emailing, please advise if you are happy to be contacted for further comment on your experience.